Balearics in winter.

[[163233]]

I'm planning a trip to these rather popular islands, clearly the summer prices are way beyond my meagre means. Most places are quite secretive about their pricing, which makes it difficult to plan a trip for fear of hitting "summer" pricing at an inopportune moment.

So, where's inexpensive in the balearics in winter (Up to about mid-March)?
The booking system for the mooring buoys doesn't seem to work outside the summer months, so what do they charge?
Maybe I'm missing some vital website?

 

[RupertW]

I'm planning a trip to these rather popular islands, clearly the summer prices are way beyond my meagre means. Most places are quite secretive about their pricing, which makes it difficult to plan a trip for fear of hitting "summer" pricing at an inopportune moment.

So, where's inexpensive in the balearics in winter (Up to about mid-March)?
The booking system for the mooring buoys doesn't seem to work outside the summer months, so what do they charge?
Maybe I'm missing some vital website?

Our berth for 12.5m boat in marina menorca was 300 euros a month from October to April then 2500 a month until October. We stayed from September to April.

 

[Trident]

Most places carry winter rates until end of April and then May is only slightly more than winter and forget June to September

Our 35 foot cat in April was 18 Euro a night at San Antonio marina (Ibiza) - a Mono would be 12 Euro (prices 2017)

There are also good places to anchor for free and the anchorages that have paid for buoys usually don't put them out until May so you can anchor or use any buoys left out for free normally

 

[vyv_cox]

We were told when visiting La Savina marina in Formentera that it was the most expensive in the Med in summer and the cheapest in winter. Maybe some exaggeration but we know liveaboards who berth there in winter, leaving in April.

 

[Yngmar]

I'm planning a trip to these rather popular islands, clearly the summer prices are way beyond my meagre means. Most places are quite secretive about their pricing, which makes it difficult to plan a trip for fear of hitting "summer" pricing at an inopportune moment.

So, where's inexpensive in the balearics in winter (Up to about mid-March)?
The booking system for the mooring buoys doesn't seem to work outside the summer months, so what do they charge?
Maybe I'm missing some vital website?

You don't need to pay summer prices, as you can just anchor your way around in summer. We did.

In winter you need to be much more careful. The Atlantic storms that hit the Biscay coast funnel along the French mountains (or through Gibraltar if they go a bit further south like this one) and come out in the Med only slightly slowed down. You do not want to be anywhere on the W or N side of the islands when they do. The safe places do not have great (or free) anchorages, so you will need to go into ports, and the best sheltered ports are unfortunately the most expensive ones near the island capitals (Palma, Mahon, Ibiza).

Mooring buoys are mostly removed for winter and get re-deployed somewhen in June.

Probably best to go early in the season if you worry about crowds. May should be nice.

 

[SV Kittiwake]

Yngmar is right, I think it'd be cheaper to work your way round at anchor in the summer than to have to keep going in to marinas to dodge storms in the winter, and generally having a pretty hard time of it dealing with the weather. PortsIB might be worth looking into in either case though, they're reported to be cheaper but we've never stayed in a marina in the Balearics and we've spent quite a lot of time there.

 

[[3889]]

+1 for Yngmar and Kittiwake's observations. After 3 years cruising my cautious friend ended up on the beach in October, along with three other boats, during an unforcast 70knt squall. 40k of damage and "We see this every year" from Palma yard.